TK421

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I've been using plastic buckets to ferment because I'm terrified of needing to move this filled heavy carboy around when I'm cleaning/sanitizing.

My bucket method was to fill all the way to the top with water/cleaner, scrub it out, dump it, rinse, then fill with water/sanitizer and sanitize. It’s fairly easy to lift and dump with a bucket handle. However with a carboy, moving around a full carboy is a lot harder. I don't think a brew hauler will help me much in this case.

How do you sanitize? Do I need to fill the carboys all the way to the top with sanitizer, or can I just swirl a gallon or so around in there for a couple minutes and be OK?

Help!

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Drinking: Midwest Porter, Noble Trappist Ale

rdwj

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I clean them with a carboy brush and oxy-clean. I usually leave them full to the top with a scoop or two of oxy clean until I'm ready to use them.

You don't need much sanatizer if you use a good no-rinse. I use star-san. I just swirl it around a bit and leave it upside down to drain.

I also have a milk carton for each of my carboys to cary them. On top of that, I have a carboy handle on the 6.5 gallon ones.

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cweston

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The sanitzer only needs to touch the surfaces--you don't need to completely fill the carboy.

A gallon or two swirled around over the sink with the carboy held mostly upside down (but at a bit of an angle) works fine.

Or do it outside or in a large sink, and let the carboy fill all the way up and overflow a bit. (This uses sanitizer a bit more extravagently, of course). Insted of tipping a full (heavy) carboy, you can siphon out of it and thereby sanitize your siphoning gear at the same time.

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TK421

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After you guys fill the carboys all the way up with water/cleaner how do you guys dump it out? For instance, I usually clean mine in my utility sink the the basement. I just don't feel confident in lifting a slippery carboy full of 5-6 gallons of water and trying to dump it 3 feet off the floor...

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Drinking: Midwest Porter, Noble Trappist Ale

rdwj

Recipes 

When I clean, I probably have a couple of gallons in there. No need to fill it up. I do it for storage, but you don't have to.

To avoild slippery glass, get some milk cartons - the good ones. They work really well. I never take my 6.5 gallon carboys out of them. They fit nice and snug too.

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fullstop22

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You can fill carboy about 1/4 full lay it on the side on a towel then just turn and slosh a bit works great.

Brewsmith

Recipes 

After I clean a carboy, I immediately put some star san sanitizer into it and put the carboy cap on, swirl it all around and leave it. When it's time to use the carboy, it's ready to go. I just give it another swirl and drain... into another carboy to keep re-using the star san.

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Brewiz

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I soak mine in Oxyclean and then a good rinse with my homemade carboy rinser:


Then Starsan before each use.

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ajf

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When handling full, hreavy, slippery carboys, wear latex gloves. Even when the carboys are wet, they give a good grip.

-a.

cnapierala

Recipes 

Thats a neat idea. Got any more pictures of the spraying area? I may have to make me one of these. It would be handy for kegs also.

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Beers i have brewed or am brewing:
Hop Head Double IPA, Three Hearted Ale, Copper Ale, Rasberry Wheat, Scottish -80, California Steam, Blueberry Kolsh, Pale Ale, Irish Red Ale, American Wheat, Cerveza, Amarillo Pale, Chinook IPA, Power Packed Porter, Barvarian Hefewizen, Belgin Wit Bier, Apple Ale, Serria Pale Ale, Abby Blonde Ale, Flat Tire, Pikes IPA